New Viruses Reach High For Year

Latest statistics from VIA NET.WORKS UK, a provider of managed Internet services for business, show that the number of new viruses discovered in May rose to 24, the highest number of new viruses detected in a month this year.

However, the proportion of virus-infected emails in circulation to small- to medium-sized enterprise (SME) customers using VIA’s e-mail anti-virus services fell to one in every 420 during May 2003. VIA said this figure represents a return to levels of email-borne virus activity experienced in February and March, compared to April 2003, when one in every 136 e-mails scanned by VIA UK was found to be infected.

“The drop in May was a welcome statistic following record levels of virus activity in April,” said Keith Westcott, MD, VIA NET.WORKS UK. “But the increase in the number of new viruses discovered is a clear reminder to SMEs not to become complacent regarding their security practices. Anti-virus protection must be kept constantly updated, and SMEs are particularly vulnerable if they do not have sufficient in-house resources to safeguard their systems from external threats.”

Through its Managed E-mail Anti-Virus Service, VIA has been tracking the proportion of virus-infected e-mails that have been sent and received by its SME customers. The most commonly encountered virus in May was Klez-H, a worm which was first detected over a year ago. VIA advises businesses to regularly update their security systems against potential new threats to ensure they have the best possible protection.